I met "Heracles inexpectatus", the largest parrot in the world having lived in New Zealand

The world's largest parrot, measuring nearly a meter and weighing seven kilos, lived about 19 million years ago in New Zealand, a place known for its prehistoric giant birds, according to a study published today in Australia.

The missing parrot was christened with the name of Heracles inexpectatus, alluding to the hero of Greek mythology (Hercules, in Roman) of extraordinary strength, according to a statement from the University of New South Wales (UNSW ). ) based in Sydney, reported EFE.

"Heracles, being the largest parrot, certainly had a huge beak that could expand what he was feeling, and he could feed himself more than conventional parrot food, including other parrots," he said. Mike. Archer from UNSW.

Because the food chain was at the limit, Heracles could have developed a very varied diet, going beyond the fruit, said Archer, citing the example of New Zealand's Keas parrots, 48 ​​centimeters, which "develop the taste of sheep since their introduction by European settlers in 1773."

However, experts noted that 20 million years ago, there were no large mammals in New Zealand and that, like most parrots, Heracles probably fed mainly on plants.

The giant parrot lived in a rich and diverse subtropical forest with many species of palm and laurel "that provided a rich variety of important fruits in the diet of Heracles and other parrots and doves with whom he lived, "said UNSW researcher Suzanne Hand

On the parrot

Heracles was discovered near the town of St Bathans, at the southern tip of the South Island of New Zealand, among fossils dating back 19 million years.

This site, known for harboring bird fossils dating from the Miocene, is the only window on a prehistoric habitat with animals and land birds that populated New Zealand since the dinosaurs inhabited the Earth there are 66 million years.

"We have been digging this fossil site for 20 years and every year new birds and other animals are discovered," said paleontologist Trevor Worthy of Flinders University in Australia.

New Zealand was home to giant birds such as the ostrich – like moa extinct, which could have been three meters tall, and two giant geese species, among other large, non – flying birds that lived in the forests of the island.

"But until now no one has found the parrot gone anywhere," said Worthy, who participated in this study with other experts from UNSW and New Zealand. Canterbury Museum in this study published in the scientific journal Biology Letters.